Breast supporter



May 28, 1957 F. PANlGHlNl BREAST SUPPORTER Filed April 14, 1954 aw; I fA' ed S te atent? BREAST SUPPORTER Franca Panighini, Caravate, Italy, assignor to S; r. I; Glas'vite, Milan, Italy This invention relates to a new and improved breast supporter.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a breast supporter which remains in place without any accessory supports such as shoulder or back straps or reinforcing members.

A further object of the invention is to provide a breast supporter as set forth above which is made of transparent material so as to be invisible.

In accordance with the invention, there are provided a pair of elongated cups formed of a material which adheres to the skin. The elongated cups have a substantially shorter radius of curvature at one longitudinal edge thereof than at the other longitudinal edge thereof and are fastened together by a joining member which connects the narrow ends of the cups. When the cups are positioned on the lower outer portions of the breasts with said one longitudinal edge in the up position, the cups are retained in position without any other support, and the tendency of the breasts to spread outwardly due to their Weight is counteracted by the joining element.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a breast supporter in accordance with the invention in place on the breasts;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one of the cups of the breast supporter;

Fig. 3 is a top view of one of the cups; and

Fig. 4 is a section along line 44 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the figures, there is shown a pair of elongated elements 1, which will hereafter be termed cups, which are of equal size and symmetrical with one another. The cups are formed of a transparent material which has the property of adhering to the skin. preferred substance of which the cups may be made is acrylic resin. The two elongated cups are joined together by a string 2 which fits through openings 5 in a given narrow end of the cups. The distance between the cups may readily be adjusted by knotting the string when the desired spacing is attained. In order to obtain a very snug fit to the skin, the upper longitudinal edge 3 of each cup is made to have a substantially shorter radius of curvature than the lower longitudinal edge 4 of each cup.

Fig. 1 shows the two cups in place on the breasts. As can be seen, each cup is applied to the lower outer portion of the breast. It adheres to the breast both because of the self-adherence of the material of which the cups are made and also because of the elasticity of the material. The tendency of the breasts to spread outward be cause of their weight is counteracted by the cord which holds the two cups together. As shown in the drawing, in order to provide for the evaporation of perspiration One 7 1C6 Patented May which might otherwise cause a lessening of the adhering properties of the cup-shaped elements, a plurality of apertures 6 are provided in each cup.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the cups are made of a transparent plastic material such as one of the acrylic resins. The adheringproperties of the cups to the breasts is enhanced when the skin is very thoroughly cleaned as, for example, with alcohol prior to the application of the cups. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each cup is made about one-fifth the size of each breast.

Although the joining element illustrated in the drawing is a cord which may be formed of elastic material or not, as desired, it is to be understood that a band of material elastic or otherwise may be substituted for the cord.

In practice, it has been found that the breast supporter described above is retained in place even during strenuous breathing or other movements of the chest. This type of breast supporter is particularly advantageous when worn with low cut or strapless evening gowns, such as are presently in vogue.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of breast supporters differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a breast supporter formed of 'an acrylic resin, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A brassiere consisting of a pair of elongated cups formed of a substantially continuous sheet of material capable of adhering to the skin, each of said elongated cups having upper and lower longitudinal convex edges meeting in a first end portion and a second end portion, said upper longitudinal edge having a substantially shorter radius of curvature than said lower longitudinal edge and being located at the top of said supporter when the latter is in use, said cups being arranged with said first end portions spaced a shorter distance and said second end portions being spaced a greater distance from each other, said second end portions being adapted to be located at portions of the breasts closely adjacent to the armpits of the wearer; and a joining member fastened to said first end portions of said cups for connecting said cups together and limiting the distance between said first end portions.

2. A 'brassiere consisting of a pair of elongated cups formed of a substantially continuous sheet of acrylic resin capable of adhering to the skin, each of said elongated cups having upper and lower longitudinal convex edges, meeting in a first end portion and a second end portion, said upper longitudinal edge having a substantially shorter radius of curvature than said lower longitudinal edge and being located at the top of said supporter when the latter is in use, said cups "being arranged with said first end portions spaced a shorter distance and said second end portions being spaced a greater distance from each other, said end portions being adapted to be located at portions of the breasts closely adjacent to the armpits c 3 of the'wearenand' a joining member fastened to said first end portions of said cupsfor connecting said cups together and limiting the distance between said first end portions.

.3. A brassiere consisting of a pair of elongated cups formed of a substantially continuous sheet of acrylic resin capable of adhering to the skin, each of said elongated cups having upper and lower longitudinal convex edges, meeting in'a first end portion and a second end portion, said upper longitudinal edge having a substantially shorter radius of curvature than said lower longitudinal edge and being located at the top of said supporter when the latter is in use, said cupsbeing arranged with said first end portions spaced a shorter distance and said second end portions being spaced a greater distance from each other, saidend portions being adapted to be located at portions of the/breasts closely adjacent to the armpits of the wearer; and a joining member fastened to said first end portions-of said cups for connecting said cups together and limiting the distance between said first end portions. 4. In a 'brassiere, an elongated cup formed of a sub stantially continuous sheet of acrylic resin which adheres to theskin, said elongated cup having upper and lower longitudinal convex edges, said upper longitudinal convex edge having a substantially shorter radius of curvature than said lower longitudinal edge, said upper longitudinal edge being located at the top of said supporter when the latter is in use, one end portion of said elongated cup being adapted to be located on that portion of the breast nearest the armpit of the wearer.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,380,978 Licht Aug. 7, 1945 2,445,767 "Dickerson July 27, 1948 2,6ll,898 Laird Sept. 30, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 508,399 Great Britain June 30, 1939 288,311 Switzerland M May 16, 1953 1,043,400 France June 10, 1953 1,065,743 France Ian. 13, 1954 

